Recently someone approached city council and asked if the ordiance against fowl could be revised to allow laying hens only. The code enforcement officers stood up and talked for quite a time. The lady never got a chance to talk and the council voted to keep the fowl out. I approached a council member after and asked why the lady did not get a chance to talk or argue. I brought up so many facts and reasons why. I was told to do my homework and go to a council meeting myself and present my case. I already got a list of cities in Colorado that now allow backyard chickens along with their ordiances. I have a list of why they should allow chickens to include chances for kids to join 4-H for poultry where they might not due to they dont have a place in the country or its unreasonable for them to travel. Any suggestions.

you might collect ordinances from different cities and see what they have done. the above is from portland oregon. chickens were legal for a long time, then they weren't, now they are again with restrictions.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called “the government.” They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

Thanks kathyp. I did copy a lot of town ordiances in Colorado. There is a big push right now for people to keep chickens. I tried to go through all the post here about chickens because I think this came up before. I found a lot of good links on chickens so those that posted those, THANKS!

wish we allowed them here also, frankly. I say allow the laying hens, but not the bleep myself. do not need roosters crowing all over, but laying hens are quite and fine, do not know any reason not to allow them really, is there?

In Oviedo FL chickens run loose downtown....very small town at one time...became Orlando's bedroom community....new residents decided they had to go...probably got tired of waiting for them to cross the road...so they were caught up....old residents thru a fit and they had to release them again....guess you need to get a lot of people to show up or sign a petition. You'll probably find the people selling the most eggs etc are the ones against it.

ya, funny how peoples views on things change when they 'happen' to be making a profit off it huh? suddenly it is ok if they do it....but for some reason or another, it shouldn't be allowed for others or everyone to do it. amazing...

So my neighbors can (and always have) spray poisons on the ground and in the air that I can smell from my house. That I am obviously breathing, that pollute the water. Systemic poisons to control such dangerous things as dandelions. This is considered their right, their freedom. But I can't have chickens in my backyard, because they are deemed to be a health hazard? Only in the US.

Im a law abiding citizen. To a point. When my 82 year old mother wanted to raise a few hens, inner small city, against ordinances, cross it off her bucket list, I told her to "just go for it". What are they going to do? Cuff ya? Nope. In fact the neighbors loved them. No one enforced it. She had her glory and eventually sent them over to my place, the chicken nursing home, where an old hen can live out her days basking in the sun and bathing in the dirt.Some rules are ridiculous. Chickens are therapeutic. Chickens are a part of our heritage. YOU!, have a RIGHT to raise your own food. Sometimes you just have to grab a hold of your pitchfork and declare "enough"!If enough of us grabbed our pitch forks, well, we wouldnt be in this predicament.

Keep up the push for backyard chickens. I worked with Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville (UCAN) to have our Metro ordinances changed in 2012. Now we are coming up on the sunset and I think the council will make the change permanent. The push for urban chickens has been a huge success for Nashville and its citizens. The only change I am am pushing for now is flock size per lot size. My size lot is restricted to one chicken and as anyone who knows chickens a recommended minimum flock size is three. I think I got this from the Chicken Whisperer Radio on Blog Talk Radio.

My participation really opened my eyes to how local politics work.

Best of luck

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"I freed thousands of slaves. I could have freed thousands more, if they had known they were slaves." Harriet Tubman (c. 1822 – 10 March 1913)

Stella is right....grab the pitch fork and get everyone else to do the same. (literally speaking of course). Too many of us just sit back and let things happen. As long as they can grab our rights...they will. Even if you don't care to have chickens you should still support those who do..